Sonam Wangchuk detained under NSA & shifted to Jodhpur: Ladakh administration

The Ladakh administration on Saturday (September 27, 2025) night justified the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA), saying he was shifted to the Jodhpur jail.

The administration said his series of alleged provocative speeches with references to Nepal agitation and the Arab Spring resulted in the Wednesday’s violence that left four persons dead and scores of others injured.

“It is important to restore normalcy in the peace loving Leh town of Ladakh. To ensure this, it is also important to prevent Mr. Wangchuk from further acting in a manner prejudicial to maintenance of public order. In this backdrop, the administration, based on specific inputs, took a considered decision to detain him under the National Security Act (NSA) and move him to Jodhpur,” said the statement issued by the Leh administration.

It accused Mr. Wangchuk of releasing provocative speeches and videos. “For the larger public interest, it was not advisable to keep him in Leh district,” the administration said.

It said Mr. Wangchuk, son of Sonam Wangyal, a resident of Uley Tokpo, Leh, was detained under the NSA on Friday for “time and again indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the State and detrimental to maintenance of peace and public order and services essential to the community.

“Despite clear communication from the Government for the meeting of the High-Powered Committee (HPC) (of the Ministry of Home Affairs) and offer of prior meetings before the HPC, Mr. Wangchuk, with his ulterior motive, continued his hunger strike,” the administration said.

It claimed that Mr. Wangchuk’s series of “provocative speeches, references to Nepal agitations, Arab Spring etc. and misleading videos resulted in the violent protests of September 24 in Leh, where institutions, buildings and vehicles were burnt down.

“In the aftermath, police personnel were attacked leading to the unfortunate death of four individuals. The entire episode could have been avoided if he could have risen above his personal and political ambitions by calling off the hunger strike when the dialogue with the Government was resumed on the same agenda,” the administration said.

Violence broke out on the 15th day of Mr. Wangchuk and his associates’ hunger strike, with two being hospitalised. He was on a three-week hunger strike to press for the early resumption of talks between the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and representatives of Ladakh to have “result oriented” dialogue on key demands of Statehood and Sixth Schedule.

Several religious, social and political parties in Ladakh have condemned the move to arrest Mr. Wangchuk. Meanwhile, a curfew remains in place in Leh town and also Section 163 of the BNS was imposed in Kargil town to ban any large gatherings. Kargil town observed a shutdown on Friday to express solidarity with Mr. Wangchuk.